Creatine is a naturally occurring substance found in foods such as meat, fish, eggs and milk. It’s also been made synthetically. Creatine supplements are sold over the counter (OTC) or prescribed by doctors for various conditions including muscle wasting diseases like muscular dystrophy.
How Long Does Creatine Last After Opening?
The shelf life of creatine varies depending on the manufacturer and type of creatine being used. Most creatine products have a shelf life of six months after opening. However, some brands may not last that long due to their manufacturing methods.
When it comes to creatine expiration dates, there is no hard and fast rule because the manufacturers don’t want consumers to buy expired product. Some companies will only sell you a product with an expiration date of one year from the date of manufacture. Others will only sell you a product with an expiration date of two years from the date of manufacture.
Still others will only sell you a product with an expiration date of three years from the date of manufacture.
It’s all about what works best for your business and budget. If you’re looking to stock up on creatine, then it makes sense to buy it now since it lasts longer than other types of food.
You should also make sure that the storage of your creatine is air tight. Air degrades it over time, so if you’ve got a container that’s not completely air tight, then your product might not last as long as it could. Some types of creatine can also be freeze-dried, which preserves its life even longer than keeping it in an airtight container.
You may want to inquire with the manufacturer before purchasing your creatine about these options.
Does Creatine Expire?
The question “Does creatine expire?”
is one that’s commonly asked by customers. The answer is yes, it most certainly does expire. All types of food are susceptible to expiration due to a number of factors, but this doesn’t mean that the food becomes inedible or poisonous after a certain date. It just means that the food will lose some of its quality after this date.
For example, if you had five pounds of beef and sold it to a customer with an expiration date of February 15th, then that customer would be able to eat the beef until February 15th. After this point, the beef would start to taste sour or spoil, even though it wouldn’t make the customer sick. In this case, the beef would be safe to eat up until the point that it started making the customer sick.
This is pretty much how expiration dates work for all foods. They don’t make the food dangerous to consume after a certain point, but they do make the food less than ideal after this point. This is why it’s important to pay attention to the expiration date of your creatine, especially if you’re buying in bulk since it can sometimes be difficult to tell if the creatine has gone bad or not.
You can usually tell if creatine has gone bad if it smells really sour or rancid. Another indicator is if you see mold growing in the creatine, since this means that it has most likely been ruined by bacteria.
How to Store Creatine to Make It Last Longer
Since creatine’s shelf life is so short, it’s a good idea to find a storage method that makes it last longer. There are two common practices that you can use: freezing or keeping it in an air-tight container. Freezing the creatine will stop the degradation process almost entirely, so this is a great way to preserve it.
All you need to do is transfer the creatine into a freezer-safe container and place it in the freezer. Make sure that you leave enough space for the creatine to expand since this is what happens when things become frozen.
The second method involves keeping the creatine in an air-tight container. Oxygen is what makes the creatine start to degrade, so keeping it in a container that doesn’t allow for any air to get inside will keep it from going bad. You can use things like plastic bottles with a screw on lid, glass jars with a secure lid, or metal cans.
Just make sure that you don’t use a glass jar with a rubber gasket since rubber doesn’t last long when it’s kept in the freezer.
If you’re going to be storing the creatine for long periods of time, then it’s best to use a combination of these methods. For example, you can store five pounds of creatine in a large glass jar with a secure lid in your kitchen cabinet and store the rest of your creatine (that won’t fit in the jar) in a freezer-safe container in your freezer.
Sources & references used in this article:
Biochemical stability of the methyl group of creatine and creatinine by CG Mackenzie, V du Vigneaud – J. biol. Chem, 1950 – pdfs.semanticscholar.org
Effect of oral creatine supplementation on respiratory gas exchange and blood lactate accumulation during steady-state incremental treadmill exercise and recovery in … by MA Stroud, D Holliman, D Bell, AL Green… – Clinical …, 1994 – portlandpress.com
Process for the Preparation of a Creatine or Creatine Monohydrate by S Weiss, H Krommer – US Patent 5,719,319, 1998 – Google Patents
Process for purifying creatine by K Kessel, G Scherr, T Bogenstätter, S Orsten… – US Patent …, 2002 – Google Patents
Method of increasing creatine supply depot by E Hultman, RC Harris – US Patent 5,767,159, 1998 – Google Patents
Creatine gel by TR Casey – US Patent 5,908,864, 1999 – Google Patents
Creatine beverage and producing process thereof by H Sueoka – US Patent 5,612,375, 1997 – Google Patents
Process for the preparation of creatine or creatine monohydrate by K Kessel, G Scherr, M Kluge, N Biedermann… – US Patent …, 2004 – Google Patents
